Matching needs and expectations of trainees and companies hosting for a successful internship Erasmus Project

Project Title

Matching needs and expectations of trainees and companies hosting for a successful internship

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Research and innovation; Recognition, transparency, certification; Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits)

Project Summary

One of the objectives of the Erasmus+ Programme is to encourage the development of high-quality transnational work placements across Europe. The idea for MATCHSI came from research and the observation that the quality of the information collected from the trainees, the vocational education training providers and the host companies, particularly small and medium sized businesses, before transnational work placements and then subsequently shared was not always in sufficient depth or as relevant as it could be.

This resulted in a significant gap between the expectations and objectives of the different stakeholders involved in the process including hosting and sending organisations. In short, the needs of trainees and host companies were not always fully identified or taken into account. This in turn dramatically reduced the many benefits of this type of mobility experience resulting in disappointment and even disillusionment amongst those involved.

The MATCHSI project brought together eight partners from seven EU member states and aimed to fill this gap by producing a user-friendly and adaptable Toolkit to facilitate the identification, the collection and the transmission of all the relevant information. These innovative, up to date resources are compatible with and complement the already existing tools and methods developed and promoted by the EU, such as Europass CV.

The Toolkit was tested on a control group of 119 trainees who undertook a transnational work placement of 3 weeks to 6 months in duration. The materials were also tested by the project partners through their networks on over 600 additional placements, involving more than 40 educational establishments and VET providers, more than 350 host companies and over 30 additional interested parties, such as local public administrative bodies. A significant number of these placements involved young people who would not typically have taken part in transnational mobility, including 22 from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Project Partners also undertook in-depth research in each partner country and produced a work-based learning Compendium of Good Practice for Transnational Work-placements, available in 7 languages. The bringing together of these resources from seven European countries in one place has helped to make the information easier to find and to encourage improvements in the quality of collaborative work between VET providers, mobility service providers, businesses and other stakeholders and perhaps even the development of new cooperative approaches and solutions.

The project was managed by a steering committee and featured 2 sub-working groups. All resources and materials produced through the project are freely consultable and downloadable via the MATCHSI website and are be available in the seven languages of the project as appropriate.

The results of the MATCHSI project will help increase the impact of transnational work placements, leading to added value on a trainee’s CV and thereby improving employability by helping to develop the skills required by businesses. This in turn may contribute to improving the quality of the labour force and help to promote economic development within the European Union. Another long-term benefit of our project is to facilitate stronger partnerships between the educational and business sectors by increasing the involvement and ownership of host companies in the work-based learning process.

As the renowned scientist Laurence Bragg said in 1958, ‘The important thing is not necessarily to discover new facts, but to develop new ways of thinking about them’ This is what we have achieved through the MATCHSI project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 165743,62 Eur

Project Coordinator

EUROPEAN PLACEMENT NETWORK Limited & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Verein zur Qualifizierung in traditionellen und modernen Bautechniken e.V.
• Associazione Culturale Centro Mediterraneo Pintadera
• APRECA
• Hans-Viessmann-Schule
• AKERSHUS FYLKESKOMMUNE
• APLICAPROPOSTA LDA
• AM TRANSNATIONAL, S.L.